Convo: Liz Clark on a Sailing Voyage to Find a Connection to Herself and the Planet
In this episode of Flanigan’s Eco-Logic, Ted speaks with Captain Liz Clark, surfer, sailor, environmentalist and author of SWELL, a memoir published by Patagonia. The upcoming paperback edition of SWELL is scheduled for release on May 14th chronicling her voyage sailing 20,000 nautical miles of ocean. The book shares tales of sailing in high seas, of solitude and surprises, but also of hardship and difficulties she faced both within herself and in the outside world, ultimately finding a connection to the earth and commitment to living in harmony with it.
Liz and Ted discuss her background, growing up in San Diego on the water. Her father was an avid sailor, taking their family on a 5,000-mile, 6-month cruise in Mexico on their sailboat. At fifteen, her love of the ocean and natural athletic inclination led her to try surfing, and eventually started competing, surfing in private contests and for the UCSB surf team while studying at UC Santa Barbara.
Liz enjoyed the exploratory part of surfing, looking for remote waves, and has since spent the last 9 years exploring the Pacific, searching for and surfing numerous incredible reef passes as well as working on local environmental projects and presenting talks in schools across Polynesia to raise awareness of pollution and conservation issues. Her aim is not only to promote environmental awareness in the places that she visits, but also to do so on a larger scale by documenting her voyage and sharing it through her writing and photography in the hope that it will inspire others to live out their passions and connect with both themselves and the planet.
Liz is now based in French Polynesia, where she started writing SWELL, and has dropped the hook more permanently in Tahiti with her partner to expand her activism work, resulting in the creation of A Ti’a Matairea, a non-profit organization in French Polynesia working for environmental protection, animal welfare, and youth empowerment. There is more sailing in her future, but for now, she is enjoying giving back to the planet and learning how to positively impact local environmental issues.
